Burst of Fire, Living Silver
by Pipsqueak Alchemist
Summary: Or, how two teenagers manage to cause insanity and save the world at the same time. The Amestrian State Military would never recover from the impact. ***Pilot: The first mission is supposed to be easy. August and Sau Ting didn't get that memo, and neither did the villains for that matter.


**Title: _Burst of Fire, Living Silver_**

**Summary: Or, how two teenagers manage to cause insanity and save the world at the same time. The Amestrian State Military would never recover from the impact. **

* * *

**Author's Note: Written purely for fun. Mostly OCs, but the canon characters play a big part too. Written kind of like a television series. Please enjoy!**

* * *

**Pilot:** _Meet August, Ed and Al's student. Now, meet Sau Ting, Mei's deadly protege. The two youngest female State Alchemists go on their first mission and find that they may have bitten off more than they can chew. _

* * *

Honestly, Colonel Maes Mustang had no clue what he had been thinking when he decided to vouch for the two young, very _female_ alchemists that decided they wished to take the State exam.

Everyone in Amestris and the surrounding countries knew the stories of the great Fullmetal Alchemist, the Alchemist of the People, a tiny pain in the ass of authority and his sweet but definitely badass brother. Maes Mustang had loved the bedtime stories his father, now Fuhrer Roy Mustang, used to tell him about his past with the youngest State Alchemist ever. Edward Elric was brilliant, a prodigy that had joined the military at the tender age of twelve. Alphonse Elric had been just as fascinating in see stories.

Maybe that was the only reason Maes Mustang wanted to see what the Elric's young apprentice, thirteen-year-old August Hellmont, was capable of.

Maes knew he couldn't be the only one wondering, especially since his own father had signed off on the exam request, probably out of pure curiosity.

If having a teenage girl request to take the test was strange enough, Maes knew everything for him was about to be complicated for him when yet _another _teenager requested to take the test.

Not much was known about fifteen-year-old Sau Ting Tsang, other than the fact that she knew a bit of alchemy as well alkehestry, an art uncommon within Amestris that could probably be quite useful for military purposes. The girl was, of course, from Xing, and she had supposedly studied under Princess Mei Chang, who had made quite the name for herself as she aged.

Maes knew plenty of female alchemists, and knew that some were even in the military and took the exam each year. Though they weren't as common as male alchemists, they weren't a foreign concept, either. Still, _teenage girls_ had never requested to take the exam before.

He vaguely wondered if he was the only one interested in seeing the two teens in action. Fullmetal and Alphonse had definitely been some of the best alchemists of all time, and the same could be said for Mei Chang and alkehestry; it would be interesting to see just how well their apprentices had been trained in the difficult sciences.

* * *

The day of the test found Maes in a rather giddy, excited mood. When he was young, he had seen first hand just how skilled Edward Elric was. It was no surprise that his protege wouldn't be every bit as exceptional.

At the actual test, when August Hellmont stepped forward, the iron Flamel cross that hung from a chain on her neck gleaming in the light, it was no surprise to see that she held her head high and confident. She had a smug little smirk on her face, which she didn't really attempt to hide, and if her eyes hadn't been hidden behind a pair of dark glasses, there surely would have been some kind of determined spark.

Maes could already tell that the girl would be a trouble maker. He just hoped that she was skilled enough in alchemy that her arrogance and no doubt strange personality wouldn't matter.

In the end, she passed the written exam by just a few points, but during the actual exam she passed with flying colors.

The big surprise was the fact that she had actually managed to use flame alchemy by drawing the symbol similar to that on the Fuhrer's gloves on the back of her hand with the marker she had been allowed to use alongside her chalk. With a snap, August had created a spark and a small flame had appeared at the tips of fingers.

Upon glancing at his father at the head of the room, Maes could tell by the slight, almost nonexistent widening of dark eyes that he was just as surprised as the rest of the attending officers.

With a smirk still firmly in place on her face, Maes had no doubt that the shocked silence that fell over the entire room was exactly what August Hellmont had been going for.

* * *

When August took the exam, most people had already been expecting her success based solely on who her mentor had been.

Sau Ting had been a big surprise to everyone.

Much like August, Sau Ting passed both portions of the exam. She was just as self-confident as August, if not more so (definitely more intimidating, anyway), as she stepped forward to begin the final portion if her exam. She had a presence so intense that it just commanded everyone's attention immediately as she brought her hands together, the wide silver bracelets on her wrists that were very similar to handcuffs with an alchemic circle on each sliding down her arms with a faint jingle.

With a spark of blue, the bracelets were suddenly gone, transformed into sharp knives. Sau Ting dug her foot into floor, her dirty shoes creating a smudgy circle which she threw the knives at.

Never before had Maes seen a teenager cause such a big explosion. Even after the grinning girl practically skipped away with her black-blue-purple ponytail swinging behind her when her time was up, Maes could still see faint smoke curling away from the edges of his singed uniform.

* * *

If all of that hadn't made up one of the most interesting exams that Maes had ever experienced, actually being in the office with his father Fuhrer Roy Mustang as he gave the two teens their certificates to make them official State Alchemists had been very interesting as well.

The two girls were as different as night and day, and it was made all the more obvious when they stood next to each other in front of the Fuhrer's desk.

Tall Sau Ting would definitely be night, with the way her skin was tan, unlike most Xingese citizens, her dark hair streaked with blue and purple ("It's dyed," she would later reassure everyone.), and, as Maes would later discover, her dark sense of humor to go with her mostly black and purple apparel. He often found himself associating silver, one of Sau Ting's signature items to work with, with the ivory moon. In his mind, it made sense that Sau Ting was night.

Shorter, fair-skinned August was definitely day. Despite how smug she was earlier and still seemed to be, she was trembling, as if resisting the urge to bounce around excitedly. She had so much energetic excitement, which was easy to associate with day.

Despite the obvious, very big differences, Maes knew that this could be the start of something good.

"Sau Ting Tsang," Fuhrer Mustand announced, beckoning the Xingese girl forward, "From this day forward, you are a certified State Alchemist. You will be known as the Quicksilver Alchemist."

"Thank you, sir," Sau Ting said politely, taking her certificate with a happy smile. She was obviously very pleased with her newly chosen name.

Fuhrer Mustang smiled back politely, taking the other certificate on his desk. "August Hellmont," he said. August nervously stepped forward, her former self-confidence disappearing in an instant as she was faced with reality. Fuhrer Mustang grimly surveyed her face, her eyes still hidden by shades. "How is it that you learned flame alchemy?"

August gulped, infinitely more nervous than before. "I'd seen the array on your gloves on the television many times when I was younger," she said. "When I went to study under Teacher, he let me read every book he had, and there was one about flame alchemy. I used basically the same array on your gloves and sort of combined it with some stuff I found in the book."

"So you developed your own array?"

"I suppose you could put it that way, sir."

"Does anyone else have access to what you've discovered?"

"Other than my teacher, no one, sir."

Fuhrer Mustang relaxed, if only slightly. "Very well," he said. "August Hellmont, from now on, you are to be recognized as a certified State Alchemist. You will be known as the Blazing Alchemist." He smiled in a way that seemed to make August feel much better as she stepped forward and took the certificate with a smile of her own.

"Thank you very much, sir," she said, the excitement from earlier turning now that the tense atmosphere was gone.

Fuhrer Mustang nodded. "You two will be working with Colonel Mustang and his team," he told them. While it might have seemed like any ordinary statement to a normal person, the two teens and Maes recognized it for what it was: an order.

"Yes, sir!" the two teens said in unison, awkwardly saluting. It was obviously something they would have to get used to unless they wanted some higher up jackass to yell at them for their lack of military discipline.

Fuhrer Mustang grinned. "Report in at eight sharp tomorrow morning, ladies. Until then, you are dismissed. I suggest you to get to know each other in the meantime. You'll be spending a lot of time together, trust me."

"Yes, sir," the two repeated once more before retreating from the office and closing the door behind them.

Maes's father turned his eyes on him. It was difficult remembering at work that his dad was Fuhrer first and foremost, not his father. Outside the office was a different matter, but here, he was no more than a subordinate.

"I trust that you will take care of them," the Fuhrer said.

"Yes, sir," Maes responded firmly.

His father nodded. "I know from first hand experience that it won't be an easy task to look after two teenagers, especially two girls. They are currently our youngest enlisted members, and the youngest females to ever pass the exam. Considering their gender and this new world they're going to be apart of, I expect you to get the message across that if any of the men attempt fraternization, they will be answering to me." Under his breath, he added, "Not to mention what Fullmetal and Mei will do."

Maes barely contained the smile that was trying to fight its way onto his face.

* * *

When Maes thought that the two girls working together would be a good thing, he had obviously been out of his mind.

"Stop calling me short!" the muffled yell came from outside the door.

"But you _are_ short!" a muffled, closer retort snapped back.

Maes looked up from his desk, quirking an eyebrow expectantly at the door. His subordinates did the same, and then slowly they turned their heads to look confusedly at their boss. In response, the colonel only shook his head, already regretting the confident way he had told his father he could handle two teenage girls.

"I'm _not_ short!" The indignant screech sounded closer this time. "If anything, you're too tall! People from Xing are supposed to be smaller than you are!"

"That's _such_ a stereotype, and either way, you're still short in comparison to everyone else!"

At that moment, the door to the office was slammed open, and a short, red-faced teenager came stomping into the room, looking very irritated. A smirking Xingese girl calmly walked in a second later, acting like nothing had happened.

"Good morning, Colonel," Sau Ting said cheerily, approaching his desk.

Arms crossed, August warily stood on the other side of Maes's desk. "Morning," she forced out between clenched teeth.

Maes looked at them expectantly. "Glad to see you're getting on nicely," he said sarcastically.

"You could say that," Sau Ting replied with a wicked grin. "We share a dorm. It's certainly _interesting_."

"Not the word I would use," August grumbled.

"Aw, Gus, don't be that way," Sau Ting cooed.

Maes, despite his futile resistance, rolled his eyes at the exchange. "Lovely," he said dryly. "Try not to bring your feuding into the office, will you? It distracts from work."

"Yes, sir," they both said in unison, Sau Ting cheery while August grumbled and scowled.

"Like you're any better," came a mumble from the blond man at the copy machine. Maes barely kept his lips from twitching up into a smile, but somehow managed to keep the amusement off his face.

Instead, he gave an exasperated sigh. "I supposed I should introduce you to the team, then," he said. "As you know, I'm Lieutenant Colonel Mustang, your commanding officer." He looked toward his subordinated in various working situations around the room.

"Over at the copier is Sergeant Jake Sharp." The young man probably in his early twenties looked up as his name was announced, grinning and waving politely at Sau Ting and August before going back to his work. Maes's eye twitched in slight irritation at the thought of his subordinate pulling off the innocent look in front of strangers, but he continued to go on.

"Behind me is First Lieutenant Dimitri Eaton." Sau Ting and August turned around, surprised that they hadn't noticed the young man behind the colonel before. He should have stuck out with the bright orange hair he had, but the man at the colonel's side was obviously very quiet and stoic. He quirked a brow expectantly at the two teens, as if daring them to comment. When neither did, he smirked, obviously satisfied.

Maes smirked at the small interaction, looking around the office. "I don't know where Elric is . . ." A frown replaced his smirk, and he looked over at Lloyd for an answer, who shrugged in response.

August's mouth dropped open and her eyebrows could be seen above her sunglasses. "Elric?" she squeaked. If her eyes weren't hidden behind shades, Maes was quite sure that her eyes would be wide in horror.

The door to the office burst open at that moment, a blue-eyed, golden-haired young woman appeared in the doorway, a huge grin on her face. "GUSSY!" she shrieked, launching herself across the room and tackling the brunette to the ground where she proceeded to hug her to the point that she was wheezing for breath.

"Gussy?" Sau Ting snickered under her breath. Maes could understand the action; he had to cover his mouth and feign disapproval when all he was really doing was attempting to hide the amused smirk.

"Hi, Sara," August gasped, struggling for breath and freedom. "Can you please let me go?"

Grinning, the blonde backed off, climbing to her feet and offering a hand out to the short brunette. "Sorry, Gussy," Sara responded cheerily. "I just missed you a lot!"

"It hasn't even been that long!" August protested. "I saw you last week!"

Sara pouted. "I know, but it feels like it's been longer. I don't remember the last time I've gone so long without seeing you."

Maes cleared his throat to regain the two girls' attention, and Sara immediately turned around and saluted. "Sir," she said firmly.

Maes grinned. "I can see you know Blaze," he said.

August frowned. "Blaze?"

"Would you prefer Blazing? I thought Blaze would suit you better."

"Uh, Blaze is fine, sir," August said after a moment.

Maes nodded. "Silver," he said, finally addressing Sau Ting. The Xingese girl stood taller, looking alert. "Allow me to introduce you to Second Lieutenant Sara Elric."

"It's nice to meet you," Sau Ting politely said to Sara. Sara grinned in response, nodding her head.

"Get to work, Elric," Maes said after a moment. Sara saluted again, and then turned on her heel to go about her normal day, but not before giving August and Sau Ting a quick wink.

"What are we supposed to do, sir?" August asked after a moment of silence.

"I have your first assignment, actually," Maes informed them, reaching for a folder on his desk. "This is strictly for the two of you. Consider this your trial run, your test, whatever you want." He held out the file, and Sau Ting grabbed for it, flipping it open. August scooted closer to look as well, frowning as she took note of the information.

"Dublith?" she quietly asked after a moment. "Um, is it possible that we could have a different assignment, sir?"

Maes quirked a brow. "Do you have a problem with being in Dublith, Blaze?" he asked calmly in a way that practically demanded that the answer be no.

August gulped. "No, sir," she said quietly. "No problem at all."

At the back of the room, Sara looked up with a concerned frown on her face, but quickly looked down again to hide it.

Maes grabbed a folder on his desk and opened it. Not looking up, he said, "You two are dismissed."

The two teens saluted rather awkwardly like they had the day before, and went to exit the office.

"Oh, and Blaze?" August stopped just before the doorway, glancing back curiously. "Silver is right." Maes smirked. "You_ are_ rather short."

The girl blew her top, which Maes had gleefully anticipated. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU -" she began to shriek, storming half way across the office before a snickering Sau Ting grabbed the flailing girl around the waist and covered her mouth.

"Bye, Colonel!" she called, exiting the office with her struggling companion in tow.

Maes smirked. It wouldn't be conventional, but he could definitely get used to the two new teammates. Looking around at the amused faces of his subordinates, he knew that they felt the same.

* * *

The train ride to Dublith was certainly interesting.

If anyone were to ask Sau Ting's opinion on her new companion, she would probably say that August was a short pain in the ass and had a temper that rivaled her height. She would make it sound as if she detested the small brunette, and in a way, she believed that their rivalry was real.

Sau Ting could be very underhanded, but even she had a certain honor. Being with her teacher, Mei, had shown her that it was underhanded and unacceptable to strike at an opponent when they were down, which is exactly what sulking, suddenly and uncharacteristically very quiet August seemed to be right then.

"Alright," Sau Ting said after two very frustrating hours of total silence from August. No matter what Sau Ting did or said or threatened, the small brunette hadn't responded with much more than a shrug each time. "This has got to stop. What's got your panties in a twist? And don't you dare shrug, bitch."

When August shrugged, still showing that tiny bit of rebellion, Sau Ting knew that not all was lost. "Bitch," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest as slouching August smirked in the seat opposite of her.

Good. Smirking in response was good; August wasn't totally brain dead, unfortunately.

"So, _Blaze_," Sau Ting said nonchalantly, reaching for her bag. She pulled out one of her books to read during the trip. "Why are you so hesitant to go to Dublith?"

"Reasons," August responded after a moment of silence.

"Care to share with the class?"

August snorted. "I barely know you, Sil," she grumbled.

"Sil?" Sau Ting grinned. "Aw, you've nicknamed me already? How cute."

"Simpler than saying your name. I butcher the pronunciation each time."

Sau Ting pouted. "You're avoiding my question."

"I'm not answering your damn question," August grumbled, going from a sulking, quiet lump to sitting up straight and glowering. "It's none of your business, and I'm not going to tell my past to a total stranger."

"Consider us not strangers, then," Sau Ting persisted. "We're going to have to trust each other with our lives. I doubt back story is gonna change anything."

August huffed, leaning against the window and staring at the greenery as they traveled. "You don't know that," she murmured.

"Here, I've got a proposition for you," Sau Ting announced. "I'll tell you my back story, you tell me yours?"

August quirked a brow, remaining silent. As it was not an outright refusal, Sau Ting took it as a good sign. "So, I -"

"Don't tell me just because you want to hear my story," August said grumpily. "I'm not telling you anyway. We've known each other for two days total. You don't just tell someone you've known for that short amount of time your life story."

"True, I guess, but I have nothing to hide, and we're supposed to get all close and shit so we actually learn to rely on each other and . . . yeah. So. I'm gonna tell you eventually, so it might as well be sooner rather than later."

"Tell me when we've known each other longer," August responded grumpily, curling up in the corner of the seat with her head resting on the window. "I'm gonna take a nap. Try not to blow up anything in the meantime."

"Says the one that can blow shit up with a snap of her fingers," Sau Ting snorted.

August made a face at her, but said nothing as she pulled her knees to her chest and closed her eyes. Within minutes her breathing had evened out, and Sau Ting turned to her book, her curiosity genuinely piqued by her strange partner.

The kid didn't hesitate, didn't shy away in fear because of her background like the citizens of Xing normally would. Normally, Sau Ting detested back talk, especially when she was so used to being in control. But August didn't know of her background, didn't seem to care, really, and despite the scary look Sau Ting could throw around, the young brunette stared back with as much ferocity and rage as she could muster.

Maybe, just maybe, this partnership could work.

* * *

They finally made it to Dublith the next day, and Sau Ting threw her book at August. Most would have thought it a mean gesture, but the fact that it was the only paperback out of three other hardback books in her bag, it was a show that she wasn't a _total_ bitch.

Still, August sat up, grumbling under her breath and retaliated by throwing the book at Sau Ting's head. The older teen only grinned in response, knowing that she could have easily blocked the object. At least August was reacting, though, and not being a robot. Just this once, Sau Ting would let it slide with no further retaliation on her part.

They hopped off the train, finding themselves under a huge sign saying 'Welcome to Dublith!' It was around noon and the sun was high in the sky at that time, so the two went off to rent a room for the night and drop off their stuff before taking a look around the city.

Or, Sau Ting was looking around the city, anyway. August was looking around fearfully, as if she might see something totally horrible while they were looking for a place to eat and talk over what they were supposed to investigate while they were there.

In the end, August chose the place they ate, which was an isolated cafe that had only two customers when they entered through the doors, but the best sushi Sau Ting had tasted in Amestris since her move to the country a little over a year ago.

"But this place is so far from the sea!" she said in awe.

"I know," August said with a self-satisfied grin. "It's amazing, right?"

"Totally!"

August merely grinned in response, seemingly more relaxed now that the two were away from the crowds. "Alright," she finally said, digging the folder from their superior officer out of her bag. She opened it on the table as Sau Ting stuffed her face with food. "According to this, there has been a weird string of disappearances."

"Lemme see," Sau Ting said around a mouth full of sushi. She reached for some pictures as August laid them on the table. "So the person leaves an array behind?"

"Yeah," August responded. "I'll show you the picture of the arrays later since you're eating, but when they're found, it's . . ." She frowned and narrowed her eyes at one picture. "Disturbing."

"No, really?" Sau Ting asked sarcastically. "And other kinds of kidnappings are considered normal, then?"

August rolled her eyes. "I'd rather not have you throwing up and making a scene because of some creepily realistic pictures while you're eating sushi. Not good, Sil." She put the pictures back into the folder, neatly arranging the papers before pulling out a sheet of paper with a list of the victims.

"Any patterns?" Sau Ting asked, using a napkin to wipe at her mouth.

"Apparently none were detected," August responded, frowning. "The gender is different for each victim, and the hair and eye color never corresponds, neither does height, or past, etc. It seems to be completely random for some reason."

"Well, there has to be some kind of method of choosing for this guy," Sau Ting grumbled. "Serial murderers and kidnappers always have some kind of thing they follow to a T."

"Maybe not," August said. "It could just be random, since there's always an array."

Sau Ting shrugged. "It'd be easier if we could find how he chooses them. It'd make finding the kidnapper much easier."

"Oh yeah, definitely," August agreed, "but we need to find it first."

"Are we visiting families, then?" Sau Ting grimaced. "I hate that, visiting the family of the missing. It's always sad and kinda depressing."

August frowned. "Have you done it before?" she asked curiously.

Sau Ting eyes darkened. "Unfortunately," she responded grimly. "And each time is nearly the same, but sometimes there's tears, and sobbing, and it's always sad . . ."

The small brunette grimaced, using her fork to push the barely-touched pasta around on her plate. "I'm not looking forward to it, then," she murmured.

"Finish your food," Sau Ting said quietly. "We need to eat before we do anything else."

* * *

After lunch, the two State Alchemists chose the first name on the top of the list and headed straight for their house.

Fifteen-year-old Liam Amos was the youngest and very first of the victims. He had been reported missing from his home, an alchemic array the only thing left behind, and had still not been found. That was how it was for all the victims thus far; missing three days, and never seen after that.

Mrs. Amos was one of the sweetest people that August had ever met. Despite the fact that they had called ahead and informed the woman that they would be coming to find information, she still managed to put a smile on her face as she answered the door with a shy toddler hiding behind her legs.

"Hello," she greeted warmly. She surveyed them quickly, frowning. "Is the military really using children again?"

"Trust me, ma'am, if we didn't want to be in the military, then we wouldn't," Sau Ting responded with a little laugh, pulling the silver pocket watch from her jean pocket. "I'm Sau Ting Tsang, the Quicksilver Alchemist, and this is my colleague -"

"The Blazing Alchemist, August Hellmont," Mrs. Amos finished, smiling. "That's right, I remember reading about you two in the paper. You passed your test yesterday, correct? You've got a job already?"

"Yes, ma'am," August responded with a grin. "Finding the person that took your son is our first assignment."

The woman's smile became a bit more forced. "Are you sure you girls will be able to handle this? That man is dangerous."

Sau Ting and August exchanged a sideways glance. "Could you tell us more?" Sau Ting asked politely. "The more we know, the better."

"Yes, of course," Mrs. Amos said, opening the door further. "Please, come in."

* * *

Mrs. Amos had been the one to see her son be kidnapped from his room, which was different from all the other victims whom had disappeared quietly. She had gone to check on him one evening, only to find a man at the window with her oldest son thrown over his shoulder. She had time to screech in panic before the man was gone through the window and taking her son with him. She hadn't seen his features, which had been shrouded in shadows.

"I ended up waking Dillon," Mrs. Amos murmured, adjusting the curious three-year-old boy on her lap. "He really misses his brother."

"I can understand that," August murmured, her eyes becoming distant for a second before focusing intently on the situation at hand again. Sau Ting frowned at the moment of weakness, wondering just what her partner was hiding.

"You said you last saw him in his room, ma'am?" Sau Ting asked, choosing to store the information away to confront August about later. "Would it be okay if we took a look around?"

"Yes, of course," Mrs. Amos responded. "Anything that will help catch whoever did this to my son."

She showed the girls to the room at the end of a long hallway, and quietly excused herself. The memory of what had happened here was obviously still a delicate topic for her, and with good reason, too.

The array was drawn on Liam's bed in what appeared to be blood, but upon further inspection was found to be paint. It amazed the two teens with how pristine it still appeared to be.

Sau Ting surveyed the array with a frown. "It's for a Philosopher's Stone," she hissed in shock. "What the hell . . ."

"It's in the reports, which you never bothered to read," August said dryly. "Disturbing, yeah?"

"Very," Sau Ting agreed quietly. "Alright, Blaze, lets snoop."

"Lovely term you chose for it," August murmured sarcastically, moving to the bed side table.

They searched for the next couple minutes, finding the typical things that one would find in a teenage boy's room, and it was all rather odd for them. Doing her best to ignore the questionable magazines she'd found under the boy's mattress, August moved toward the closet as Sau Ting surveyed the book shelf. The title of one book piqued her interest, and she pulled it out, eyes widening as she surveyed the title.

"Blaze," she called quietly. "Check this out."

"Gladly," August responded, happily moving away from the closet and toward her companion instead. "Whatcha got?"

Sau Ting held up the book she had found, and August frowned at the title. "_Alchemy For Beginners_," she read. "So the guy had a book on alchemy. Your point?"

"My point," Sau Ting said bitterly, grabbing the other alchemy book she'd seen, "Is that this kid was messing with stuff that he shouldn't have been messing with."

August read the title of the second book. _Human Transmutation: The Forbidden Art_. The short brunette recoiled. "Well, shit," she murmured. "What was this guy doing with a book like this?"_  
_

"I guess we'd better find out, fast," Sau Ting murmured. "Because this could be what links all the victims together."

"So we've found it. That's good, right?"

"No," Sau Ting murmured. "This could be very, very bad."

* * *

"Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. Amos," Agust said warmly as the kind blonde woman walked them to the door, with tiny, wide-eyed Dillon clinging to her skirt.

"It wasn't a problem, dear," Mrs. Amos responded kindly. "Please be careful, girls. Liam was no older than you two, after all."

"We'll be careful," Sau Ting promised with a rare, genuine smile. "Thank you for the concern, though."

"Are they bringing Li home, Mommy?" Dillon asked, turning big blue eyes to his mother. Mrs. Amos looked about ready to cry, her eyes shining with tears that she was determined not to she'd in front of her now only son.

She didn't had to gather the strength to respond as August got on one knee in front of Dillon. "I promise we'll do all we can to find your brother and bring him home," she promised, her voice sad and soft. "And I'm sure he missed you so much that he'll play with you as much as you want."

Dillon didn't understand that there was little chance that Liam was alive, but Sau Ting knew that he would appreciate the answers they found when he was old enough to understand what everything meant.

He smiled and waved as the two teens walked away from the house, not noticing as his mother furiously scrubbed at her eyes so her son wouldn't see.

* * *

"That was awful," August mumbled dejectedly as the two teens walked away and started off in the direction of the next house. "I don't want to do that again."

Sau Ting frowned in a rare show of sympathy. "Yeah, it'want gonna be much better as we go on. In fact, that was one of the calmer reactions. Sometimes there are worse things. Like sobbing. Sobbing gets to me every time."

"And so she has a heart," August snickered, trying to cheer herself up.

Sau Ting smirked wryly. "It's cold and made of stone, but it's there," she promised.

The two walked in silence for the next few moments until Sau Ting spoke up again. "You handled that rather well, actually. I didn't know you we're such a people person, Antisocial Pipsqueak."

"I'm_ not_ people person, I just know how to be polite, and I'm _not_ little," August snarled in response.

"You were very good with Dillon, anyway, even if you're antisocial," Sau Tng went on, ignoring August's protests. "So good job. Now take the compliment, you won't get many from me."

Augusts scowled. "You're such a bitch," she grumbled, though her tone lacked malice of any kind.

"I know," Sau Ting hummed cheerily in response.

Silence fell over the two once more, and they walked that way for about ten minutes until they reached the next house. Sau Ting rang the doorbell, and August blurted out, "It's because I have siblings."

Having already forgot their earlier conversation, Sau Ting blinked stupidly. "Huh?"

"I was good with Dillon because I had siblings around his age. I know how little kids work."

Sau Ting was still processing the new information and the past tense that was used as the front door opened and a middle-aged man appeared. "Yes?" he asked.

Sau Ting snapped to attention. "Hi. We're the State Alchemists that called earlier. Are you Mr. Early?"

"That would be me," the man agreed, the wrinkles around his face becoming more defined as he frowned. "You've got to be kidding. You can't be State Alchemists."

The two dug out their pocket watches for evidence. "I'm the Quicksilver Alchemist, Sau Ting Tsang, and this is August Hellmont, the Blazing Alchemist. If you need to call our superior and check our credibility, we can give you the number, sir." August could practically hear the irritation in her colleague's tone. It was obvious that she didn't like having their credibility questioned just because they were young and female.

Mr. Early seemed to accept them, at least, as he opened the floor further. "Please, come in."

* * *

The story of Ana Early's disappearance differed from Liam's. At nineteen, she was enrolled in the local college for her second year. She had kissed her father on the cheek on a Tuesday morning three days after Liam's disappearance before heading out the door with her backpack slung over her shoulder and she hadn't returned home that even.

Ana was a good girl with the best grades and a magnificent attendance. She was the only child in her family of two, and her father had raised her since the death of her mother when she was eleven. She and her father were very close and they never argued over anything.

"No parent thinks their child is going to die before them," Mr. Early choked out, his voice cracking by the time he had finished speaking. "My Ana had such a bright future ahead of her."

Sau Ting glanced over at August and saw that her companion was visibly wincing in sympathy, as if she had personally known the victim. In Sau Ting's mind, she wouldn't allow Ana Early to become more than that; if she became emotionally attached or invested in any way, then she wouldn't be making well thought out choices and she could possibly be rash. Being rash and impulsive wasn't going to do more than get her killed, and same for August.

"We're very sorry, sir," August murmured.

Sau Ting jumped right in. "Do you mind if we take a look at Ana's room? We would like to know more about her without making you more upset." It wasn't a total lie, at least; she didn't want the man more emotional than he already was, but she did want to check Ana's room. If they found anything to do with alchemy, they might have their connection that the killer was using.

Thankfully, Mr. Early agreed before excusing himself to get a tissue and collect himself.

Sau Ting went immediately to the bookshelf that sat against a wall beside the window in Ana's purple room. She found the two alchemic books in no time, exactly the same as Liam's.

"Alchemy," Sau Ting announced. "That has to be the connection. Why else would there be the same exact books with two totally different people?"

August was at her side in a second, looking down at the books with a frown. "Where are they from?" she asked.

Sau Ting turned the book over, finding the price sticker immediately. "Blaze, I think we'll be making a trip to the Book End."

* * *

They went to two more families, and found the same two books both times, albeit in different places. Not all of the victims had been stupid enough to hide their books on their bookshelf, instead choosing to hide the books either in their dirty laundry (talk about yuck!) and a loose floorboard.

The two went back to the room they were renting and discussed their findings and suspicions about the strange arrays and the alchemy books. Before they clicked off the light, they had already decided what they were going to do the next day.

It seemed that Sau Ting and August were going to be visiting the Book End.

* * *

The Book End was in a more isolated part of town, where there were few shops and even fewer people. It reminded Sau Ting of the slums of Central, where the homeless lived and normal people rarely ventured. It was the shifty part of town, and no one with money in their pocket or something valuable on them dared to venture anywhere near the Book End.

When Sau Ting and August walked in through the door that looked about ready to fall off its hinges, and a rusted bell rang overhead. The actual shop was messy and dusty and smelled faintly of mold. Books were piled hazardously above their heads, threatening to fall at the first awkward motion. They weren't new books; most were so old that the binding was either tearing or completely missing altogether.

Behind a pile of books on what appeared to be a front counter, a head of dark hair poked out to look at them. "Ah, customers! My name is Ophelia, how may I help you today?"

"We're here to inquire about some books," Sau Ting said, immediately on guard. She didn't like the woman that was now staring at them through sharp blue eyes similar to ice.

"What books are you interested in?" the woman asked guardedly.

August rattled off the titles of the two alchemy books, and the woman took on an even more suspicious look. Sau Ting really didn't like the way she was surveying them as if she was trying to read their minds.

"Of course," the woman said after a moment of tense silence, getting to her feet. She climbed over the desk since there was no other way around the mountain of books. "Follow me." She turned on her heel, expecting the two teens to follow.

As she and August followed, Sau Ting noticed the aforementioned teen had a marker in her hand and was drawing what appeared to be array flame array. Sau Ting inwardly smirked, pleased that August wasn't a total idiot.

They followed Ophelia to a door near the back. She opened it and entered without turning on a light, leaving the black beyond a total mystery. August smirked and snapped her fingers, creating a small flame in the palm of her hand, much like a torch. She went in first, and Sau Ting warily followed after her, hr palms rubbing together in case she needed to make a weapon out of her bracelets.

The door slammed shut behind them as soon as they were in the room, and e two whipped around, searching out the woman. Even with August's flame, they couldn't see very far in the dark room.

August was beginning to feel uneasy as she walked further into the room, holding her hand out as far as she could so she wouldn't stupidly trip or bump into something."

"I don't like this, Sil," she announced after a moment.

"For once, I agree," Sau Ting murmured, sticking close to August's back. She looked around the darkness, knowing that something was about to possibly attack them at any moment.

Feeling a presence behind her, Sau Ting knew she had been correct. She whipped around and clapped her hands together, her bracelets melting form her wrists and molding into a staff in seconds. She swung as a dark blur lunged in, and August turned to face it. The blur turned out to be some strange mix of a human and a giant chicken - literally.

"Chimera!" August squeaked, backpedaling immediately. She stared, eyes wide behind her shades as she recognized the color of the crazed eyes. The chocolate brown hue matched Mr. Early's almost perfectly.

Sau Ting adjusted her staff to attack as the creature squawked and made a dive from the side. "No, don't!" August shrieked, grabbing the back of the Xingese girl's black shirk and yanking her back harshly.

Sau Ting let out a choked gasp as the neckline tightened around her throat. She turned and whacked August harshly in the shoulder with her staff, hard enough to bruise. August hadn't even had time to muffle a yelp before Sau Ting was snarling at her. "What the hell are you doing?" she seethed, turning to face the chimera again. "It's gonna kill us, you idiot!"

"It's Ana!" August cried desperately, the flame in her palm flickering. "You can't hurt her, Sil!"

Sau Ting hesitated for one moment, but focused as the chimera came at them again. "If I don't, _she'll_ hurt _us_, dumbass!" she snapped. "It's too late to save her, anyway! Once she was merged with whatever the hell kind of chicken or rooster or whatever it is, we were too late!" She took a swing at the Ana-chimera, hitting it harshly in the chest and sending the screeching creature back into the dark. "It's more merciful if we kill her now!"

"How could you say that?!" August snapped, tears unwillingly pricking at her eyes. "Sil, what about Mr. Early? We promised all of those families that we'd bring their loved ones home!"

"_You_ promised that," Sau Ting hissed, turning for a moment, just to let sharp, cold brown eyes meeting August's tear-filled ones before turning back to the dark. "That's all on _you_, Blaze. You shouldn't make promises unless you know you can keep them."

August felt about ready to cry at the unfairness of the entire situation when a low chuckle sounded from behind her.

"My, my," came Ophelia's amused voice. "I wasn't aware you were so heartless, Quicksilver."

Sau Ting tensed, but didn't turn away from where the chimera had disappeared. August tried her best to put on a brave face as she turned to face the dark-haired woman, trying to wish the tears in her eyes away.

Ophelia looked as pale as paper in the dim light of August's flame, and the dark hair and sharp eyes only accented her pallor. Her previous amused tone did not match her now blank face as her piercing gaze met August's narrowed green eyes.

"You know, kid," Ophelia said quietly, stepping forward slowly. "If you're empathetic with everything you handle as a State Alchemist, you've chosen the wrong job."

"Shut up," August hissed, holding her other hand at the ready to snap as soon as Ophelia made a move that she didn't like.

Behind her, Sau Ting launched back into her own fight as the screeching chimera lunged from the darkness again. The fight lasted a bit longer, but the screeching cut off with a loud, resounding snap as Sau Ting broke the chimera's long chicken-neck.

August felt the tears rise up again on Mr. Early's behalf, and Ophelia broke her mask just enough to laugh cruelly. "That's pathetic, dear," Ophelia said sweetly. "You can't do your job if you're empathetic. It'll drive you mad."

"Look, bitch," Sau Ting snapped, turning around to face Ophelia now that the chimera was done. "I may agree with you mostly, but_ I'm_ the only one that gets to lecture her. You have no right, so shut the hell up and let us out of here."

"But I thought you wanted to know about the books," Ophelia said with a pout.

"No, we're good!" Sau Ting responded quickly. "We know what's happening now, and what you've done with the victims. That's all we need for now until Colonel Mustang sends someone to investigate further." She harshly nudged August in the back. "We can go now."

"It's not going to be that easy, dear," Ophelia said sweetly.

"There's still the man," August piped up, casting a glance back at Sau Ting. "Remember? Mrs. Amos saw a man the night Liam was kidnapped, not a woman."

"Yes, very good," Ophelia said cheerily. "You've got a very good memory, dear."

Sau Ting let out a screech and dropped her staff as an arm snaked around her throat and yanked her back into the shadows, cutting off her air as it did so. She saw August's panicked expression as she turned and started forward, only stopping as the woman took a few quick steps and caught up to the short brunette. Ophelia brought a knife to August's throat, making the girl freeze as the sharp blade pressed against the exposed flesh of her throat.

"I think," Ophelia purred, her free hand landing lightly on August's shoulder, "It might be interesting to have an animal merged with an actual alchemist instead of those wannabe-amateurs." She rested her chin on August's shoulder, causing the young alchemist to tense. Ophelia only smirked and looked back into the shadows where the man holding onto Sau Ting was still standing. "What do you think, dear?"

The man grunted and stepped forward, Sau Ting in his arms. He was a giant figure, standing well over six and a half feet tall. Sau Ting's toes scraped against the concrete floor as she tried to stay upright enough to pull in enough oxygen.

"Bring Quicksilver forward, dear," Ophelia cooed. She used her grip on August's shoulder to pull the girl back, and the brunette took note of the array on the floor that once again looked suspiciously like it had been drawn in blood. August could only hope it was paint, like the array on Liam's bed.

The giant, hulking man dropped Sau Ting onto the circle like a sack of potatoes. The Xingese teen started coughing and hacking, greedily sucking air into her lungs. She made a move to get up despite the wobbliness of her limbs, but Ophelia stopped her with a soft, "No."

Ophelia still had August in her grip, the flickering flame in the teen's palm the only thing shedding any light. Sau Ting almost wished there was no light at all; the terrorized look on August's face was enough to cause her stomach to do anxious flips.

Sau Ting tried to rise again, but stopped when August let out a muffled whimper as Ophelia pressed the knife harshly into her skin, causing a line of blood to appear and drip down the girl's neck.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you," Ophelia hummed, icy eyes glimmering in the light of August's flame. "Try that again and I'll kill your little colleague here."

Sau Ting glared, but remained sitting in the middle of the circle, her body tensed and ready for a quick escape. She ignored Ophelia and the strange man behind her still, dark eyes boring into August's. The younger teen gave a small, barely noticeable nod, and Sau Ting relaxed slightly.

"So you've been turning random, innocent citizens into chimeras?" Sau Ting asked after a moment.

Ophelia smirked and turned toward the burly man. "Be a dear and go grab the phone. We have to call and let them know we've got the little alchemists."

"Who are you callin'_ little_ -" August started to snap, only stopping abruptly when the knife pressed down harshly on her skin again. She wondered if the light tickle she now felt on her throat was blood.

The man lumbered off into the dark, and Sau Ting's eye twitched. She looked about ready to say something snarky, but somehow managed to contain herself. "What's the point?" she asked instead, scowling. "Why are you making chimeras?"

"Why, to get the attention of the military, of course!" Ophelia crooned. "I didn't expect Colonel Mustang to send you two out, though - such a big job for children, especially children that haven't had much experience."

Sau Ting grinned crookedly. "I wouldn't just assume that, lady," she responded lightly. "But. Moving back to our earlier conversation. Why did you wish to gain the military's attention?"

Ophelia's smirk was deadly. "Wouldn't you like to know," she asked coyly.

"Um." Sau Ting quirked a brow. "Yeah, actually. I _would_ like to know, if you don't mind."

August wished she was free; not because the crazy-ass lady with a knife to her throat was starting to freak her out, but because she needed to smack Sau Ting on the back of the head for being a complete and total whack-job.

"You'll find out. Eventually." Ophelia relaxed her hand, the blade moving away from August's throat. The young brunette looked at Sau Ting, narrowing her eyes in a silent question. Sau Ting gave her a barely-there nod in response.

August lifted her hand quickly to Ophelia's wrist, the flame charring the pale skin within seconds. Ophelia screamed in pain, the knife clattering uselessly to the floor where Sau Ting made a dive for it. August's flame went out as she ducked under Ophelia's arm and twisted the charred, blistering wrist, sending the woman flipping away.

Snapping her fingers, another flame appeared in August's hand, and Sau Ting leaped to her feet and grabbed the smaller girl's arm. "Come on!" she hissed, dragging her away. They ran further into the dark, leaving a glowering Ophelia in their wake.

If they had stayed behind, they probably would have noticed the burn on her wrist healing right away.

* * *

The two teens were only heading further into the belly of the beast, in a way. The dark backroom seemed to go on forever until, finally, they reached a plain wooden door. They stood in front of it for a moment, as if silently debating on their next course of action.

"We should just go in," Sau Ting said after a tense moment. "It's better than turning back and facing the crazy bitch."

"Agreed," August hummed as the Xingese girl threw the door open and the two rushed inside.

The room they entered looked a lot like a study, with a fire in the fireplace on one wall, a desk and chair on another, and -

Oh. Studies didn't usually have cages full of people and animals against another wall.

"Sil, transmute some kind of exit. I'll unlock the cages," August ordered quietly.

The two went off to opposite sides of the room. While Sau Ting worked on drawing an array to make an exit, August knelt down in front of the cages, almost wanting to cry when she saw they were sealed.

"Alchemy," one of the young men murmured. August recognized his face from their files - Ian MacArthur, twenty-four, father of a three-month-old baby girl.

August looked back where Sau Ting was still distracted, and then to the people all looking at her with wide eyes. "Don't ever breathe a word of this to anyone," she hissed, clapping her hands together and then to the cage. She unsealed the latch, and swung the door open for the people to escape.

"You didn't use -" one of the young women started to say, only to cut off when August sent her a harsh glare.

"We've got an exit!" Sau Ting crowed happily as late afternoon sunlight flooded the room. Everyone rushed through and into the streets in their tattered clothing, and people stopped to gape at the sight as people on missing posters appeared like nothing was wrong.

At the rear of the group of people cheering happily at their release, Sau Ting and August exchanged smug victory smiles.

* * *

In the end, everyone was accounted for - even Ana Early, strangely enough. August was pleased with this, but also slightly disturbed - the chimera back at the Book End had definitely had Ana's eyes. She was so sure of it. When she mentioned her concerns to Sau Ting, the Xingese girl had only shrugged it off as August's eyes playing tricks on her. August wasn't so sure, but she kept quiet after that, since the Book End had mysteriously burned to the ground before anyone could investigate further, and no proof was left behind.

While it technically hadn't been the objective to capture the ones responsible for the kidnappings in the first place, both Sau Ting and August knew they were going to get an earful from the colonel when they got back to Central. They really weren't looking forward to that. Hopefully the fact that they had been able to rescue all of the captives would be enough to overshadow their failure in other areas.

Sau Ting and August sat in the local police station with the people they had rescued, grinning ear-to-ear as each was reunited with their families. They couldn't help but feel proud knowing that they had been the ones to put the smiles back on the faces of the families.

Watching Ana practically leap from her seat and tackle her father to the floor in a hug had been one of the best things the two young teens had ever seen. At least the tears in Mr. Early's eyes weren't ones of despair and loss like they had been when the two had seen him earlier.

Mrs. Amos had practically run into the station, her eyes frantic like that of a wild, panicked animal. Dillon was set on her hip, wobbling slightly and looking dizzy from his mother's fast motions.

"Mom!" Brunet, blue-eyed Liam ran to embrace his mother, his long arms wrapping around her in a tight hug. Dillon let out a happy yell, arms wrapping around Liam's neck as their mother sobbed and clung to her oldest son, her face buried in his shoulder.

Sau Ting and August exchanged happy glances. They were as different as could be and could possibly argue over everything or insult each other until the end of time, but at least they could both agree that they'd done something good as a team.

The two looked up as shadows fell over them where they sat in uncomfortable chairs against one wall while the families hugged and cried in the center of the room. Mrs. Amos had come over to them, Liam at her side with Dillon in his arms.

"Thank you so much," Mrs. Amos said, her voice cracking and tear tracks still plain as day on her cheeks as she reached out and pulled them both into a crushing hug. "Thank you. I don't know how I'll ever repay you."

"We don't need any payment," Sau Ting assured cheerily as the woman pulled away. "We're just glad we could help."

Dillon squirmed in Liam's arms until his brother set him on the tile floor. The toddler immediately threw himself at August and Sau Ting, his small arms struggling to pull them both into a hug.

"Thanks for bringing big brother home!" he said loudly, grinning up at the two of them.

"No problem, kid," Sau Ting said with a grin, ruffling his hair. "Be good for your mom, 'kay?"

"Okay!" Dillon squirmed out of their laps and went back over to his brother, immediately attaching himself to his side.

Liam grinned at the action, settling his hand on his brother's shoulder and nodding at Sau Ting and August. "Thanks for everything." His eyes lingered on Sau Ting for a second longer than necessary.

"Don't mention it," Sau Ting said with a wry smirk. Her expression became one of seriousness. "Just don't try alchemy anymore, dude. It could get you into serious trouble."

Liam nodded once, an unreadable look in his eye as he and his family turned to go home.

Once they were out the door, August smirked at Sau Ting, and the Xingese girl quirked a brow in response. "What?" she asked suspiciously.

"He was checking you out," August said sagely.

"What?" Sau Ting choked. "You're thirteen! What the hell would you know about that stuff?"

"I have eyes, you know," she said with a grin.

"Really? I never guessed. They're always hidden behind shades."

August immediately tensed. "Um, anyway, Liam was checking you out," she went on, completely ignoring Sau Ting's previous statement. "Maybe you should go after him and get his number or something. I'm sure he'd gladly give it to you." She forced a grin on her face.

Sau Ting decided that she wouldn't comment on the avoidance. Yet. "I'm not interested in guys," she said lazily, examining her bracelets. There were scratches on the silver now, unfortunately, but nothing she couldn't mend later.

August's eyebrows must have been up pretty far if Sau Ting could see them practically reach her hair line. "Does that mean . . . do you like girls, then?"

"What? No!" Sau Ting made a disgusted face. "I mean, it's okay for people to like their own gender, I guess, because love is love and all that crap, but I dunno. I'm just not interested in . . . _feelings_." She said the word like it was a dangerous poison.

August blinked rapidly for a moment before barking out a laugh. "Oh my gosh, that's the best thing I've ever heard you say!" she chortled. "I can't breathe, hahaha!"

Sau Ting rolled her eyes. "Right, whatever," she said dismissively. "Let's get back to our room. This mission only took two days, can you believe that? We can take the first train out tomorrow morning."

August trailed behind Sau Ting until they were about halfway back to the inn they were staying at. "Um, I'm going to take a short walk before heading back." Her fingers nervously traced over the bandage around her throat where Ophelia had cut her. "I'll meet you back there."

"Okay," Sau Ting said, but August hadn't even stuck around to listen, instead veering sharply to the right as they came to a fork in the road. Quirking a suspicious brow, the Xingese girl waited a few moments before deciding to follow and see what was up with her colleague.

* * *

August's destination, it seemed, was in the slums, much like the Book End had been, but it was further to the west whereas the Book End had been east. The street that August was quickly and nervously walking down had rundown houses and, and no one seemed to be out. From the safe distance she followed at, Sau Ting was sure she had seen some people suspiciously peeking out of their windows, but she hadn't been able to catch details.

August slowed her pace, as if she was dreading whatever it was she was about to do, before stopping completely in front of a certain house. It was small and not as rundown as the others, but it wasn't the best, either. The white paint on the outside was chipping and peeling in places, but the front yard had greener grass than the other yards and even some flowers growing on either side of the front door.

The small brunette stared at it for the longest time, looking unsure of herself. Sau Ting hid behind a group of bushes in the neighbor's yard so she could observe whatever was so important that August had felt the need to lie about and hide from someone she was supposed to trust her life to.

August finally seemed to gather enough courage to walk up to the door and knock, only to freeze like an animal about to be shot at by a hunter. She seemed to be second guessing herself, but it was already too late, and the door was swinging open.

A small Ishvalan boy stood there. He couldn't be much older than six or seven, and that was a generous guess for his tiny size. Wide red eyes curiously gazed up at August, and the teen froze instantly, struggling to breathe.

"Yes?" the boy asked.

"Levi?" August said

The boy frowned. "How do you know my name?" he asked suspiciously, pouting.

"I'm your sister, don't you remember?" August sounded hurt at the idea of being forgotten. "I used to sing terribly while you used pots and spoons as drums."

"Levi, go back inside," a pretty Ishvalan woman scolded as she appeared in the doorway, her white hair falling over her shoulders in waves and stopping at her waist. Red eyes were wide as they zeroed in on who was standing there in front of her as Levi obediently went back into the house.

"What are you doing here, child?" the woman asked guardedly, bracing the doorknob as if she was prepared to slam it in August's face.

"I -" August gulped. "I don't know what I'm doing here, actually."

"You shouldn't be here." The woman's voice was cold. "You're not welcome in this place anymore."

"I was never welcomed to begin with, and we both know that, Mom," August retorted. She took a quick step back as fire danced in the woman's red eyes, and Sau Ting leaned forward slightly, her mind filled with muddled thoughts at this new information.

"Don't call me that," she hissed. "I may have given birth to you, but I am in no way your mother."

"I know that," August said slowly, an angry edge in her voice. "Mother's don't raise their child to a certain age and then kick them out when they start showing an interest in alchemy."

The woman shook her head. "You don't know anything, do you? Figures you'd get an unintelligent Amestrian mind from your father."

"So it's not the alchemy, then? Tell me, _Mom_, what reason did you have to disown me and leave me to fend for myself until someone decided to take pity on me and take me in?"

The woman suddenly slapped August with enough force to make the small girl's head snap to the side, her dark glasses clattering to the stone steps. Sau Ting's eyes widened in surprise as she caught sight of August's eyes for the first time.

"I disowned you because of that!" the woman snapped loudly, pointing at August's face. "And that!" She used her bare foot to nudge August's leg. "I disowned you because you sinned against Ishvala!"

"I did what I had to!" August sneered, her voice cracking as it rose slightly in pitch. "Everyone had given up on Clara, even you! I tried to save my sister and got punished for it and kicked out by my own family!"

"You sinned against Ishvla," the woman said coldly. "I don't know what you're trying to accomplish here, but I think you should leave."

August stood still for a moment. "I just wanted to check in," she said, stooping to grab her cracked sunglasses. "I hadn't heard anything from you, and I - I hate that you kicked me out, I hate that you abandoned me, but I can't _hate_ _you_, and I can't help being concerned for your well-being despite all the reasons that I shouldn't. Looks like you're fine, though." She turned her back on the woman. "Goodbye, Mom."

The door slammed shut after that, and August was left to stand in there as the sky rapidly darkened. The moon was already starting to come up above the houses as she trudged out to the street again.

"You can come out now, you know."

Sau Ting was startled when she noticed that August had come to stand in front of the bushes she was hiding in, red eyes looking down at her. Now that they were up close, Sau Ting could see the deep scar around her right eye, which was vacant and unseeing.

Sau Ting slowly stood up, eyes wide. "Why didn't you just tell me?" she asked quietly.

August shrugged. "I don't know how you feel about Ishvalans. They're a minority and people are racist, and being half Amestrian doesn't help the racism stop at all. Because I have red eyes, I'm one of them. I'm abnormal. I didn't want the person I was permanently working with to judge me for my heritage."

"I don't care, quite honestly," Sau Ting murmured, stepping out of the bush and running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to rid it of leaves. "People are racist toward Xingese too, you know."

"I didn't really think about that," August murmured, turning her glasses over in her hands. "Looks like I'll have to find a new pair of glasses . . ." She turned on her heel. "Come on, let's go. We don't want to be around here when it gets too late."

They walked in silence for the most part, until Sau Ting's curiosity got the best of her. "I don't understand something, though," she said when they were nearly halfway back to the inn.

"Hm?" August glanced over at her, and Sau Ting found herself marveling at how strange it was to see red eyes on a pale brunette girl.

"What did your mother mean?" she asked after a moment. "About your sins? And who is Clara?"

August glanced around suspiciously, as if someone could be listening in. "I'll tell you when we get back to the inn, okay?"

"Gotcha," Sau Ting murmured in agreement.

They made a stop at a restaurant and ordered takeout since they hadn't eaten since noon and it was nearing nine at night before heading back to their room. They ate in silence and then prepared for bed. Sau Ting was brushing out her hair as August sat on the twin bed across from her. Sau Ting set the brush down, looking at the other girl expectantly.

"My dad is Amestrian. I don't know much about him, but apparently I wasn't exactly, um, willingly conceived. I don't know who he is, but if I could meet him, I'd probably kill him and not regret it." Red eyes stared at the floor, and Sau Ting still found herself fascinated by the combination of traits. "My mother took care of me anyway, but my entire family basically hated me because I was an outcast, and a reminder of something terrible. Clara was - still is, I suppose, if she's still alive - my older sister, and Levi is my younger brother. Half-siblings, of course. Their father hated me, but he died a year after Levi was born. My mother and her parents never really liked me, especially after I checked out a book from the library about alchemy and learned to do small transmutations.

"Clara was very sick when I was around. For my entire life, I never once saw her out of bed, but she was always frail and skinny and weak, and far too pale, even for an Ishvalan. She was the only one that didn't hate me - in fact, when my mom or grandparents would take their anger out of me just because they could, she always invited me to stay in her room for the night and read books to me and tell me about alchemy.

"When I was about nine, Clara's sickness got even worse, and it was estimated that she had only a few weeks to live. I poured over alchemy books and learned what I could, and saved up spare change around the house to buy the things I would need to make her better. She died, actually, and I performed human transmutation in Clara's room one night while everyone was asleep, but I must have done something wrong, because, well -" She kicked off her socks, revealing automail feet. "I lost both my legs up to the knee. I deeply scarred my eye because I'd tried to crawl away after seeing Truth, and I fell onto the corner of Clara's nightstand.

"Mom took me to the hospital, and after nearly two months there, I was sent back home, but no one would even look at me after what I'd done. Clara looked like a mummy, and honestly, I don't even know if it's her soul in that thing of skin and bones, because she never spoke, never did anything - she just stared at the wall all day, every day, and that was it. But she lived, and is still alive as far as I know, if it's even her." August looked up for the first time. "Mom took me to the hospital for a reevaluation, told me to never come back because I was no longer welcomed there, and never came back to pick me up."

Sau Ting stared for a long moment. "You performed human transmutation," she whispered, horrified. "August, you_ idiot_ -"

August winced at her name, since Sau Ting hadn't called her anything except Gus or Blaze since they met. "I didn't exactly have anyone to tell me right from wrong," she grumbled, pouting like a petulant child. "I didn't know what exactly the cost would be. I just hoped it wouldn't be too much and went for it."

"Is that how you ended up with the Elrics, then?" Sau Ting gestured at August's metal limbs.

"Yup," she brunette confirmed. "Teacher had been passing through to visit his own teacher, and he'd heard about the little half-Ishvalan girl that had mysteriously lost her legs. No one knew the circumstances of the entire thing, but since he had a hunch, he confronted me about it, I told him the truth, and he . . . He asked me if I'd like a second chance. I had nothing else, so I went for it. Teacher and Al twught me what they could, and here I am, three and a half years later."

Sau Ting nodded slowly. "So . . . is that why you're in the military, then? To figure out a way to get your legs back?"

August snorted. "Hell no!" she responded. "Never gonna mess with that shit again. I just . . . Needed a reason, okay? A reason to get up in the morning. Figured I might as well make use of my talents and help out, y'know?"

Sau Ting shrugged. "Nah, not really." She grinned. "My reasons for joining the Amestrian military are far different from yours."

"Yeah? You'll have to tell me sometime." August flashed her an uneasy grin before asking, quietly, "So . . . You're not gonna give me shit for what I've done?"

"No." Sau Ting frowned, burrowing under her covers. "Why would I? You're so short the shit would go way over your head."

"Ew!" August sneered, utterly disgusted. "I hope you choke on sushi and die, you ass."

"Best way to go, if you ask me!" Sau Ting hummed happily, reaching out to turn off the lamp on the table between their two beds. "Goodnight, Shorty!"

"I'm not short, you bitch," August grumbled back sleepily.

"_So_ are," Sau Ting mumbled back.

August didn't respond, and Sau Ting assumed the girl had fallen asleep. The moonlight cast a silvery glow as it peeked through the window, illuminating the bottom half of the two beds that the teens rested in.

_Yeah_, Sau Ting thought amusedly as her eyelids became heavier and heavier,_ As long as the little shit continues to amuse me, maybe I won't have to kill her off. This partnership can't be all that bad._

August's snore broke through the silence, and Sau Ting groaned aloud.

* * *

**Thats it, guys! Thanks for readings, I really hope you enjoyed it and will return for more in chapter two! **

**Preview of The Three Muske-idiots:**

**August and Sau Ting return to Central, only to find that they have new team mates. Why didn't anyone tell them all the newbies went to Mustang? They weren't noobs, dammit!**

**Or, how August meets her own automail mechanic and Sau Ting plays bait for the first and definitely not the last time to bring down an assassin loose in the city.**

**Until next time, guys!**

**-Blaze**


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